This course starts by examining the tools available to governments engaging in urban design policy, and then considers how these tools are used in case studies of San Francisco and Boston. (Photograph courtesy of Darwin70 on Flickr.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. J. Mark Schuster
MIT Course Number
11.337J / 4.247J
As Taught In
Spring 2007
Level
Graduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
Governments at every level assume a measure of responsibility for seeking good design. Some of that responsibility is exercised directly—through the design and construction of government buildings, for example. But most changes to our environments are neither designed nor built by governments. Rather, they are the result of the actions and investments of private individuals, institutions, corporations, joint ventures, or private/public collaborations. Yet, the actions of all of these actors are affected by the design policies of government and the interventions that are undertaken to implement those policies. In this advanced graduate-level seminar we will explore new ways of thinking about urban design policy in an attempt to better understand just what government does—and what it can do effectively—in the realm of design policy.
Other Versions
Other OCW Versions
OCW has published multiple versions of this subject. 